Originally published on Feb 7, 2013 by jrae50021 * Note from jrae: RANT!!! Southern California Edison was aware of problems with replacement steam generators at its San Onofre nuclear power plant but chose not to make fixes, US Sen. Barbara Boxer charged Wednesday. Boxer cited a leaked report from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the manufacturer of the steam generators, obtained by her office. It is the first indication from government officials that Edison and Mitsubishi knew the system had problems before it was even installed. The nuclear plant, a prime supplier of power in Southern California, has been off line for more than a year after a small amount of radioactive steam leaked from the plant’s tubing. The report indicates that Edison and Mitsubishi “were aware of serious problems with the design of San Onofre nuclear power plant’s replacement steam generators before they were installed” and “rejected enhanced safety modifications and avoided triggering a more rigorous license amendment and safety review process,” Boxer and US Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said in a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. According to their letter, the Mitsubishi report indicated that some safety modifications were rejected because they carried “unacceptable consequences,” and that decision contributed to the plant’s problems. The letter quoted the report speaking about “difficulties associated with the potential changes,” including “the possibility that making them could impede …
